One winter morning, Harvey Painter, a young poet, is visited at home by a fan, who introduces herself as Anna Geller. The two spend hours together talking about his writing. As Anna prepares to leave, she reveals that she too is a poet—a poet who, so far, has written only one poem, titled, Body of Winter, which she gives to Harvey before hastily exiting his apartment and his life. Thirty years later, an investigative reporter stumbles upon an extraordinary story. For almost three decades, a woman who goes by the name of Anna Geller has secretly visited and given poems to people in countries around the world. The mystery surrounding the poet, whose whereabouts are unknown, along with the unequalled quality of her work, turn Anna Geller into a literary sensation. Her poems, all handwritten, soar in value. Anna Geller conventions are held the world over. Armies of people begin searching for her. Harvey, now a teacher, is swept up in a celebrity-by-association maelstrom and soon becomes the most famous, then infamous, of all the poet’s gift-recipients, particularly after he falls victim to an elaborate scheme to steal Body of Winter. Brian Prousky’s magnificently rendered novel is both a loving tribute to poets and poetry and withering critique of the cult of celebrity.

A collection of three novels by Brian Prousky, now available in one volume! Auden Triller (Is A Killer): Simon and Auden Triller are twins with vastly different lives. Simon is accomplished, popular, and devoted to his unappreciative brother. Auden, on the other hand, wants nothing more than a simple life free from comparisons to his twin. As Auden's solitude leads to insanity, he loses his grip on reality, and his actions threaten to sever his bond with Simon just when he needs him most. God Might Forgive Gershwin Burr: After his father's death, Gershwin Burr turns to stealing books as a remedy for his depression, but his thievery spirals out of control. Despite his wife's pleas to stop, he can't bring himself to quit until he's betrayed and arrested. Imprisoned and tormented by guilt, Gershwin seeks redemption and the identity of his betrayer in this beautifully written novel about trauma and redemption. The Anna Geller Invention: A young poet named Harvey Painter is visited by a fan named Anna Geller, who gives him a single poem before disappearing. Thirty years later, an investigative reporter discovers that Anna has secretly given her poems to people around the world, turning her into a literary sensation. Harvey is swept up in the frenzy and becomes infamous when his poem is stolen. This novel is a tribute to poetry and a critique of celebrity culture.

Following the violent death of his father, Gershwin Burr descends into a seemingly inescapable depression until, not-so-accidentally, he discovers a remedy for his condition: he steals a book and finds his mood has lightened. Before long, he’s stealing indiscriminately while refining his skills as a professional thief and amassing a small fortune. Despite mounting pressure from his wife to go straight and from his own tortured conscience, he can’t find the desire or motivation to change. Uncertain about how to proceed, the matter is taken out of his hands when his secret is betrayed by someone whose identity is a mystery to him. Arrested, charged, convicted and jailed, his search for repentance and for the identity of the person responsible for his demise, leave him in a state of perpetual unrest. That is, until the final day of his sentence, when the answers he’s been seeking are at last revealed to him. Beautifully written and evocative, this novel contrasts the reverberations of trauma with long-held, often misguided, notions of who is, and is not, worthy of redemption.

In these exquisitely rendered poems, people fall in and out of love, in and out of religious belief and in and out of accepting the distance between their imagined lives and the lives they live. They look back as much as forward and pick mercilessly at the open wounds of failed relationships. They inhabit geographies that are both their emancipators and captors. And they find joy, or succumb to sorrow, amid life’s inescapable ephemerality and fragility. Breathtaking in its range of styles, Body of Winter, at its heart, is a vivid reflection of the best and worst of us all.

Simon and Auden Triller are twins whose only similarity is the surname they share. From an early age, Simon’s life is filled with academic and athletic accomplishments, friends and adults who admire him. As he grows older, his determination to succeed and passion for life are matched only by his unshakable devotion toward his brother, who is unappreciative to the point of contempt. Auden’s life, on the other hand, is as sparse as Simon’s is full. Wanting nothing more than to live on his own unambitious terms, in a world free of comparisons to his twin, he can’t seem to manage the smallest demands without having them turn into desperate predicaments requiring his brother’s help. Satirical, self-eviscerating and world-weary, Auden’s voice guides the reader back and forth in time and place. Gradually and painfully, Auden realizes the solitude he’s chosen for himself is less peaceful than insanity-making. When, finally, he loses his grip on reality, his actions precipitate a tragedy that threatens to permanently sever his fraternal bond, just when he needs Simon most.

At the centre of this unusual novel of chapter-long sentences lies an unusual protagonist. The survivor of a near-catastrophic fall, he finds himself possessed by peculiar, residual behaviours, the most peculiar of which is a compulsion to expel every drop of pleasure from his life by filling it with repetitive tasks and activities. When an abnormally large, abnormally cruel red butterfly enters his apartment and torments him to the point of delusion and insomnia, he realizes the only way to free himself from its grip is to leave home for an extended period of time and do what is most abhorrent to him: be among people. Wandering the streets, mistaken for the perpetrator of a violent assault by a compassionate university student who takes him in and seeks to rehabilitate him, he remains entirely and infuriatingly resistant to change. Throughout, like a hurricane of events around a static eye, what an intoxicating ride - what a grand experiment – his story is.

A collection of three novels by Amanda Apthorpe, Brian Prousky & Ronald Bagliere, now available in one volume! Whispers In The Wiring: After the death of his twin brother, Catholic priest Rupert Brown is burdened with grief. When neuroscientist Athena Nevis invites him to take part in her research on heightened religious experiences, Rupert begins to question his life. Soon, Athena’s and Rupert’s interest begins to extend beyond their professional relationship, bringing them both face to face with their values and spirituality. Auden Triller (Is A Killer): Simon and Auden Triller are twins whose only similarity is the surname they share. Auden’s life is as sparse as Simon’s is full. Auden realizes that the solitude he’s chosen for himself is less peaceful than insanity-making. When he finally loses his grip on reality, his actions precipitate a tragedy that threatens to sever his fraternal bond, just when he needs Simon the most. Starting Over: After a devastating loss, Janet Porter’s life in Oregon's Willamette Valley has begun to settle down. When her son Nate returns home from Iraq on a medical discharge, he just wants to be left alone. Desperate for help, Janet confides in Andy McNamara - a war veteran who volunteers at the local V.A. clinic. Soon, it becomes clear that Nate's wounds go far deeper than his torn-up leg. As a tornado touches down in Willamette Valley, they're all thrown into a new world - a world of starting over.

Since the early 20th century, animated Christmas cartoons have brightened the holiday season around the world--first in theaters, then on television. From devotional portrayals of the Nativity to Santa battling villains and monsters, this encyclopedia catalogs more than 1,800 international Christmas-themed cartoons and others with year-end themes of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the New Year. Explore beloved television specials such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, theatrical shorts such as Santa's Workshop, holiday episodes from animated television series like American Dad! and The Simpsons, feature films like The Nutcracker Prince and obscure productions such as The Insects' Christmas, along with numerous adaptations and parodies of such classics as A Christmas Carol and Twas the Night before Christmas.

Finalist Pacific Book Awards 2018: “Find motivation in your career and life with the amazing history of women entrepreneurship, activism, and leadership.” —Stylish Southern Mama Women Who Launch is filled with inspiring true stories of women activists, artists, and entrepreneurs who launched some of the most famous companies, brands, and organizations today and changed the world. It is at once a collection of biographies and a testament of female empowerment. Juliette Gordon Low showed what’s good for the goose is good for the gander when she created the Girl Scouts of America. Sarah Josepha Hale—authoress of Mary Had a Little Lamb—convinced Lincoln to launch a national day of thanks, while Anna Jarvis persuaded President Wilson to initiate a day in tribute of mothers. Estée Lauder revolutionized the cosmetics industry. The tradition of these Mothers of Invention continued when, compliments of knitter Krista Suh, the heads of millions were adorned with pink pussy-cat ears in the largest women’s march in history. These women who launched prove—in the words of Rosie the Riveter—“We can do it!” In Women Who Launch, readers will find:The stories behind renowned companies, brands, and organizations and the diverse women who launched them.Empowering quotes from strong women and those who refused to be kept down.Motivation to all women who want to succeed in their careers, launch companies, and change the world. “These soaring stories will inspire you to live your dreams!” —Becca Anderson, author of The Book of Awesome Women